UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Contribution from Bureau of Markets, 

 CHARLES J. BRAND, Chief. 



SQfi^ 



Washington, D. C. 



V 



November 20, 1918 



REPORTS OF STORAGE HOLDINGS OF CERTAIN 

 FOOD PRODUCTS. 



By John O. Beix, Assistant in Market Surveys, and I. C. Fkanklin, Specialist 



in Storage. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Cold-storage reports of commercial organiza- 

 tions 4 



Storage reports of the Bureau of Markets: 



Beginning and growth of the work 7 



Methods of securing information 8 



Cold-storage definition^ 10 



Compiling the reports 10 



Distribution of the information 12 



Review of the 1916-17 cold-storage season for 



apples 14 



Review of the 1916-17 cold-storage season for 



butter 



Review of the 1916-17 cold-storage season for 



American cheese 



Review of the 1916-17 cold-storage season for 



eggs 



Review of the 1917 storage holdings of frozen 



and cured meats and lard 



Storage holdings of fish, Decembor 15, 1917 . 

 Selected list of publications on commercial 



holdings 



20 



22 



43 



INTRODUCTION. 



The storing of food supplies during the season of production or in 

 times of plenty for use in the season of nonproduction or in times of 

 scarcity is as old as civilization itself. In fact, this custom, not un- 

 known among savage races, is in a sense but the counterpart of the 

 instinctive action of certain provident species of insects and other 

 lower animals in the storing of their particular foods. Among human 

 beings little if any progress could have been made along the road of 

 civilization without intelligent action in the storing of certain non- 

 perishable products, at least, and this custom is one of the first essen- 

 tials in the development of wealth and power in any race or nation. 



The storing of grains and other nonperishable products requires 

 protection merely from moisture and from the greater extremes of 

 temperature. The storing of fresh fruits and vegetables requires the 

 arresting of life processes, and the storing of all perishable products, 

 vegetable or animal, requires control of the development of bacteria. 

 Until quite modern times the preservation of such products was prin- 



60188— 18— Bull. 709 1 



